Close to 200 Rochester-area Xerox Corp. workers could be transferred to French computer services firm Atos as part of a $1.05 bilion purchase of Xerox's information technology outsourcing business.

Xerox announced Thursday it had agreed to sell its IT outsourcing operations, with the money giving Xerox more resources for acquisitions and shareholder returns.

The IT outsourcing group employs roughly 200 in the Rochester area, and those jobs could transfer to Atos when the deal is complete, Xerox spokesman Bill McKee said. The company employs about 6,300 in the area overall.

Atos will pay for the deal in cash, and Xerox may get another $50 million payment based on the condition of certain assets when the transaction closes, the companies said Thursday night in separate statements. Because of the sale, Xerox raised its fourth-quarter adjusted earnings forecast by 2 cents to as much as 30 cents a share.

Xerox Chief Executive Officer Ursula Burns is trying to refocus the company on higher-margin business services to help offset the decline of document printing, which was once the company's biggest source of revenue. The Connecticut-based company said it plans to use some of the $850 million in initial proceeds to boost share buybacks and acquisition spending.

The sale to Atos "frees capital for other acquisitions and removes a business that they have not been able to grow," said Dom Pullano, senior vice president of investments at Rochester wealth management firm PCM Associates.

The business being sold includes about 9,800 employees in 45 countries.

The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2015, after which Atos will provide IT services to Xerox, the companies said.

Xerox shares closed Friday at $13.96, up 7 cents.

Includes reporting by staff writer Matthew Daneman and Bloomberg News.